Women and Healthy Hearts

by Youmasu J. Siewe, Ph.D, MPH.

Questions and answers about women’s heart health:  

(1) Is heart disease a major threat to women’s health?

Yes! Below is some information from the American Heart Association to share about the magnitude of heart disease in women: Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, killing an estimated 240,000 women every year. This number is five times the number of women who die from breast cancer. Women also suffer about 49 percent of the 480,000 heart disease deaths that occur in America every year. More women than men die from heart attack within the first year of their first heart attack (44% versus 27 %). Heart attacks kill 21,000 women under the age of 65, and 29 percent of them are under the age of 55. One in eight women age 45 and over has had a heart attack. Black women have 33 percent higher death rate from coronary heart disease than white women, and have a 77 percent higher death rate from stroke. Coronary heart disease is a risk factor for stroke which kills over 87,000 women annually.   

(2) How can a woman with heart disease improve communication with her healthcare provider?

Caring for any chronic condition like heart disease should involve a partnership, requiring the patient and healthcare provider(s) to work as a team. 

(3) What should be done before a visit to the healthcare provider’s office?

 Write all concerns on paper or notebook, and keep a diary of symptoms, so you can describe them accurately.  Report any past treatment and bring the medications or a list of what you are taking during the office visit,

(4) What should be done during the office visit?

Be open, and do not allow yourself to be intimidated with big words or rushed through the visit! You hurt yourself by not being open or by allowing yourself to be rushed. Briefly describe all symptoms and be ready to ask questions.  Be sure you understand what your healthcare provider says, and ask for explanations of terms you do not understand. Be sure you know the instructions for prescribed medications. This should include: when to take the medication; what to do if you forget taking it or skip a dose; what other drugs, food or activity to avoid while taking the medication, and what side effects might occur while taking the medication. Write notes to help you remember what was said during the visit. If you are worried about not understanding what your healthcare provider says, bring your spouse, relative or friend during the visit.  

(5) What should you do if a diagnostic test is ordered?

Ask the reason for the test and find out what will be learned from the test; ask when results will be ready, know what the test involves and how to get ready for it; ask who will do the test, and also find out if the test poses any dangers or side effects.

(6) What should you do if a special procedure is ordered?

Find out the benefits and risk of the procedure; ask about the kind of a healthcare provider you need to perform the test, and get a referral.  Ask if you will need to be hospitalized, and for how long.  Ask about the kind of pain or discomfort you may feel, the duration of the recovery period, and what it will involve.  

 It is a myth to consider heart disease as a “man’s disease”.  Women need to become aware of their risk of developing heart disease, and the importance to form healthy partnership and better communicate with their healthcare providers to successfully treat/manage heart disease.

 Youmasu J. Siewe, Ph.D., MPH, is State Specialist for Public Health Education, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service at OSU in Stillwater.  For Questions, call (405) 744 6825.  For online access to Extension/Community Health Column, please check “articles” on the web at: http://www.fcs.okstate.edu/health/.